Nesomyidae

Nesomyidae is a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes several subfamilies, all of which have an African or Malagasy in distribution. Included in this family are Malagasy rats and mice, climbing mice, African rock mice, swamp mice, pouched rats, and the white-tailed rat.

Many of these animals were once thought to be related to other groups of muroid rodents, but this African-based clade has been proposed and confirmed on the basis of genetic studies. Such alternate arrangement include the pouched rats in the family Muridae, and the white-tailed rat in the family Cricetidae. Likewise, all members of the Nesomyidae are often placed in the family Muridae along with all other members of the Muroidea.

The Nesomyids are classified in 5 subfamilies, 20 genera and 48 species.

Subfamilies

• Cricetomyinae (pouched rats)
• Dendromurinae (climbing mice)
• Mystromyinae (white-tailed rat)
• Nesomyinae (Malagasy rats and mice)
• Petromyscinae (African rock mice and swamp mice)

References

• Jansa, S. A. and M. Weksler. Phylogeny of muroid rodents: relationships within and among major lineages as determined by IRBP gene sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 31:256–276.

• Michaux, J., A. Reyes, and F. Catzeflis. 2001. Evolutionary history of the most speciose mammals: molecular phylogeny of muroid rodents. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 17:280–293.

• Steppan, S. J., R. A. Adkins, and J. Anderson. 2004. Phylogeny and divergence date estimates of rapid radiations in muroid rodents based on multiple nuclear genes. Systematic Biology, 53:533–553.